Support structure and method of fabrication



April 8, 1969 G. M. DlsMuKEs 3,436,890 SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FABRICATION Filed sept. 26. 1966 2 of s Sheet I INVEN'TOR.

63/49/20 M /JmuX/eu f April 8, 1969 G. M. DlsMuKEs 3,43690:

SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FABRICATION Filed sept. 26. 1966 sheet 3 of:

Mal

ATTR/VEVJ nited Sttes 3,436,890 SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND METHD OF FABRICATHON Glenn M. Dismukes, 6613 Lamar Blvd., Austin, Tex. 78752 Filed Sept. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 581,824 Int. Cl. E04c /04, 2/42 U.S. Cl. 52-660 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A strength member for use in constructing the skeletal framework of a body having an irregular configuration, and method of manufacturing such a member. The member is formed by folding a flat strip of metal or the like 1 This nvention relates to improved methods and apparatus for supporting or reinforcing fabricated bodies, and more particularly relates to an improved reinforcing or structural member and methods for fabricating such member.

Various types of reinforcing members are Well known. For example, it is well known to use rods or wire mesh to improve the supporting strength of Concrete floors and columns in buildings, driveways, and the like. It is also well known to use mesh or lattice-type lath to provide a reinforcing skeletal strength member for plaster walls and ceilings.

Reinforcing members of this type are satisfactory for such purposes. However, they are primarily useful for reinforcing fabrications having straight or regularly curved surfaces and edges, since they are not easily deformed. Whenever a skeleton is needed for an irregularly shaped object, such as the skeletal framework of a plaster or papier-mache figure of a man or an animal, it is presently necessary to bend each rod or strut member into a particular shape, and thereafter to interconnect all such deformed struts or rods one-by-one to fabricate the skeleton or framework.

It is a laborious task to separately cut and bend each rod or other structural member so that it can be properly fitted into place in the skeletal support structure. Furthermore, each such piece must be laboriously fastened or fixed to the assembly.

These disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present nvention, and novel methods and apparatus are disclosed herein for providing an improved strength member for constructing a reinforcing framework for fabricated bodies of either regular or irregular shape, and for fabricating such strength members.

The advantages of the present nvention are preferably obtained with a rod-like metal strength member having a U-shaped cross section, and both bent and twisted 180 degrees alternately clockwise and counter-clockwise at regular intervals along its length. Such a strength member is also preferably formed of a fiat metal strip Which is first deformed along its length to form it into a channel member having a U-shaped cross section. Thereafter, the channel member is preferably wound into a coil about a cylindrical body or spool having a preselected diameter so that the concave surface of the channel member faces outwardly of the cylinder along its entire length.

Thereafter, each winding is sequentially folded off of the are ICC

coil by means of 180 degree twists of the rod. Alternatively, twists maybe located two to a winding, or at any other preselected locations along the rod, as the rod is unfolded from the coil. Other angles of twist, such as degree or 270 degree twists, may be required to provide a strength member for a special purpose or location in the structure to be built.

The various features and advantages of the present nvention will be apparent from the following detailed description, wheren reference is made to the figures in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial representation of a preferred embodiment of the present nvention during a stage of its fabrication.

FIGURE 2 is a pictorial representation of one final form of the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional representation of the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a pictorial representation of a different final form of the embodiment depicted in FIGURES 1-3.

FIGURE 5 is a pictorial representation of a portion of a reinforcing structure formed with the embodiment depicted in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4.

FIGURE 6 is a pictorial representation of another different final form of the embodiment depicted in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional representation of the structure depicted in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a pictorial representation of a modification of the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 9 is a pictorial representation of a portion of another reinforcing structure formed with the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there may be seen a pictorial representation of a coil 2 of channel-like rod 4 formed, as hereinbefore explained, by Winding a straight length or joint of rod 4 onto a spool (not depicted) in a manner such that the concave-like surface 6 of the rod 4 is outwardly facing. The rod 4 is preferably made of a mild steel capable of being deformed as herein described, but which is also strong enough to resist deformation by the Weight of the fabrication it is intended to support. Alternatively, the rod 4 may be made of any suitable material, including plastic or Tefion, if it is not intended that the rod 4 be welded to another metal body or object.

As hereinbefore explained, after the rod 4 is wound into the coil 2 depicted in FIGURE 1, it is twisted in a particular manner to form the rod 4 into its final shape, and the manner in which it is twisted is the factor Which determines the final shape of the rod 4. Referring now to FIGURE 2, there may be seen a pictorial representation of the rod 4 which has been twisted degrees in the same direction upon the folding off of each full winding of the coil 2. Thus, the joint of rod 4 is given a generally undulating or wavy shape since the coiling of the rod 4 tends to give it a spring-like character, the unwound coils tend to move together at points 8 as shown in FIGURE 2, and since the twisting of the rod 4 tends to prevent the rod 4 from simply resuming its coiled form as depicted in FIGURE 1. Thus, it may be seen that the concave-like surface 6 of the deformed rod 4 now tends to confront itself at points 8 along its length where one section of the rod 4 is nearest another section, and to face in opposite directions at points 10 along its length Where one section is farthest from another section. Thus, the deformed rod -4 may be seen to assume a beltlike form which may be easily twisted into almost any shape, and may also be conveniently joined with other similar embodiments of the present nvention as will hereinafter be described in detail.

As hereinbefore stated, the rod 4 depicted in FIGURES 1 and 2 is Originally a flat strip of metal (or other suitable material) which has initially been deformed to give it a U-shaped cross section as depicted in FIGURE 3. Although a U-shaped rod 4 is particularly suitable to the purposes of the present invention, since a rod of this type will conveniently engage with another such rod, the cross section may be V-shaped, C-shaped, or even rectangular (U-shaped with rectangular edges).

Referring now to FIGURE 4, there may be seen a form of the rod 4 which has been twisted 180 degrees in alternate directions along sections of the rod 4 which are substantially shorter than the circumference of the aforementioned spool. In this embodiment, the concave-like surface 6 is upwardly and downwardly turned, respectively, at the bends 12 and 14 of each upward and down- Ward undulation along the length of the rod 4. Furthermore, the concave-like surface 6 tends to face the Viewer of FIGURE 4 at each point 15 where the rod 4 completes one undulation and commences another, and never faces away from the Viewer. Accordingly, the deformed rod 4 depicted in FIGURE 4 tends to assume a more sinusoidal form rather than a helt-like form as depicted in FIGURE 3. The embodiment depicted in FIGURE 4 may also be conveniently connected with the same or similar embodiments, as Will hereinafter be explained in detail.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, there may be seen a pictorial representation of a top view of the twisted rod 4 depicted in FIGURE 4, showing how the rod 4 may be easily bent in either direction throughout a 180 degree angle without excessive deformation and weakening of the rod 4. It should be noted that the bend 14 in the rod 4 is located adjacent a point wherein one section of the rod 4 has been twisted relative to the next adjacent section, since the point of twist is the most convenient location at which to bend the rod 4 in this manner.

As hereinbefore stated, a rod having a U-shaped cross section as depicted in FIGURE 3, is very conveniently coupled to another such rod. Referring now to FIGURE 5, there may be seen a pictorial representation of a pair of rods 20 and 22, Which have previously been deformed in the manner represented in FIGURE 4, and which have been disposed together to form a lattice-like structure which can conveniently retain substances such as wet papier-mache, semi-liquid plaster, and the like. The two rods 20 and 22 are arranged so that their concave-like surfaces 24 and 26 generally confront each other at their adjacent points 28 and 30 of maximum opposite displacement. When the two rods 20 and 22 are urged together as depicted in FIGURE 7, wherein the folded up edge 32 of rod 20 is urged against the concave-like surface 26 of rod 22, and wherein the oppositely folded up edge 34 of rod 22 is urged against the oppositely turned concavelike surface 24 of rod 20, the two rods 20- and 22 will be engaged in a manner wherein they tend to retain their relative positions in the overall skeleton or support structure. As is further depicted in FIGURE 5, the two rods 20 and 22 are preferably connected by wire ties 36 (or some other suitable connecting means such as snap rings). Alternatively, the two rods 20 and 22 may be spot welded, or even spot soldered, at points 28 and 30, to keep them from separating.

Although the rods 20 and 22 depicted in FIGURE are formed in the manner of rod 4 appearing in FIG- URE 4, it should be clearly understood that the assembly depicted in FIGURE 5 may also be composed of strength members such as the rod 4 depicted in FIGURE 2. Alternatively, the assembly may be composed of a rod 4 of the type depicted in FIGURE 4 in conjunction or combination with a rod of the type depicted in FIGURE' 2. It is desirable, of course, that Iwhatever form of strength member depicted in any of the figures in the accompanying drawings is joined or connected to any other form of strength member depicted herein, the two (or more) strength members should be positioned so 4 that their concave-lke surfaces are interlocked in the manner depicted in FIGURE '7.

As hereinbefore stated, the final form assumed by the strength member (before being further deformed so as to fit a particular position in the skeletal support structure) Will depend primarily upon the direction of each twist relative to the adjacent twists, and upon the spacing between the twists. This is significant since, as has been previously stated, it is a primary feature of this invention that the strength members provided hereby shall be conveniently useful to form skeletons for irregularly shaped objects. It will be apparent that if a plurality (for example 10-20) rods such as rods 20 and 22 be joined together laterally as depicted in FIGURE 5, the resulting structure or framework will be a generally flat mesh or lattice. On the other hand, if the various rods are chosen With twists in each rod that are progressively closer together, the resulting mesh or lattice will have an inherent curvature or departure from normal which will depend upon the spacing between the twists, and which can be employed to form a body having an inconstant periphery. However, it should be apparent that such a lattice will also have the same intrinsic strength as the lattice constructed by assembling rods having equally spaced twists, since the rods will tend to slide into proper engagement because of the fact that the rods interlock with each other in the manner depicted in FIGURB 7.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, there may be seen a representation of a structure wherein two nonaligned rods 40 and 42 cannot conveniently be joined together, and thus it is then necessary to either shift one rod relative to the other, or to arbitrarily bend or cut the rod so as to obtain a proper confrontation of their concave surfaces, whereby the two rods may be engaged as depicted in FIGURE 7. Accordingly, as the skeleton or support structure is built up, it often will be necessary to perform such bending or cutting at periodic intervals or locations throughout the structure to obtain proper engagement of the various rods.

It should thus be apparent that there are basically two techniques for joining rods of the type depicted and described herein, for the purpose of forming a structure having an irregular or inconstant periphery. One technique or method is to interconnect rods having different spacings between their twists. The other technique is to shift the alignment of one rod relative to another. In most cases, both techniques may be employed As hereinbefore stated, the rod 4 depicted in FIGURE 2 may be twisted at any suitable series of locations along its length, and not merely at each length equal to the circumference of the coil 2. Referrng now to FIGURE 8, there may be seen a form of channel-like rod 50 which is similar to the rod 4 depicted in FIGURE 2 in that the concave-like surface 52 may be seen to face alternately towards and away from the viewer. However, the rod 50 may also be seen to have the sinusoidal shape of the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 4.

It will be apparent that the basic component for constructing skeletal Structures of the type herein discussed, is a coil of the type depicted in FIGURE 1 since the rod is generally formed by the manner in which it is twisted oif of the coil. However, the coil 2 depicted in FIGURE 1 need not be cylindrical in shape, and may be conical or even irregular in shape if desired for special purposes.

It will be apparent that rods formed as depicted and described herein will have many other uses, particularly when combined as depicted in FIGURE 5. For example, they can be very conveniently used as closure means, such as bars on a cage-like enclosure or as grill-work. Furthermore, they can be used as ornamentation for many different objects such as lamps, candle holders, etc.

Many other Variations and modifications may be made in the methods and apparatus described herein, and depicted in the accompanying drawings, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it

should be clearly understood that the forms of the invention depicted and described herein are illustrative, and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention.

What is clairned is:

1. A strength member comprising a channel-like rod having a generally concave-like surface and having twists therein through selected angles of rotation about the longitudinal axis of said rod at discrete locations along its length,

whereby said rod has a generally sinusoidal configuration and Whereby the concave-like surface of said rod faces substantially outwardly of each apex of each sinusoidal curvature of said rod.

2. The strength member described in claim 1, wherein said rod has a generally U-shaped cross section uniformly along its length.

3. A skeletal support apparatus for providing at least a portion of the supporting framework of a body and comprising a plurality of strength members including a first strength member composed of a first channel-like rod having a concave-like surface and having twists therein through selected angles of rotation about its longitudinal axis at discrete selected intervals along its length for providing said first channel-like rod With a generally sinusoidally curved configuration and lwherein said concave-like surface faces outwardly of the apex of each sinusoidal curvature, and

a second strength member interconnected with said first member and composed of a second channel-like rod having a concave-like surface and having twists therein through selected angles of rotation about its longitudinal axis at discrete selected intervals along its length for providing said second channel-like rod with a generally sinusoidally curved configuration and wherein said concaVe-like surface faces outwardly of the apex of each sinusoidal curvature.

4. A skeletal support apparatus as described in claim 3, wherein said rods each have a concave-like surface and wherein said concave-like surfaces of said first and second rods confront one another at points of interconnection of said first and second members.

5. A skeletal support apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein said first and second strength members are engaged generally at the apices of their respective sinusoidal curvatures.

6. A skeletal support apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the intervals between said twists in said yfirst member are different from the intervals between said twists in said second member.

7. A method of forming a strength member, said method comprising forming a flat strip of generally stilf but deformable material into a channel-like rod member, thereafter winding said channel-like rod member into a coil having a preselected inside diameter and having the concave-like surface of said rod member facing outward of the longitudinal axis of said coil, and

thereafter drawing windings of said rod from one end of said coil and twisting said rod at discrete preselected locations along the length of said rod.

8. The method of forming a strength member as described in claim 7, wherein said windings are drawn from said coil and said rod is further deformed by twisting windings away from said coil.

9. The method as described in claim 8, 'wherein said rod is twisted in the same direction at adjacent twist locations along said rod.

10. The method as described in claim 8, wherein said rod is twisted clockwise at one twist location and counter-clockwise at another adjacent twist location.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein said rod is twisted away in a first direction from said coil at first location along said rod and is thereafter twisted in a second opposite direction at second locations along said rod intermediate of said first locations.

12. The strength member described in claim 2, iwherein said concave-like surface faces in substantially the same direction substantially at each midpoint along said rod between adjacent ones of said apices.

13. The strength member described in claim 2, wherein said concave-like surface faces in substantially alternate directions substantially at each midpoint along said rod between adjacent ones of said apices.

14. The strength member described in claim 13, wherein said rod is twisted at substantially equally spaced apart locations along its length to deform said rod in a substantially uniformly sinusoidal manner along its length.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 606,988 7/1898 De Man 52-734 836,960 11/ 1906 'Cammann 52-736 931,049 8/1909 Foster et al. 52 736 1,048,484 12/1912 Becker et al. 52-734 3,033,086 5/1962 Marsden 52-660 3,198,689 8/1965 Lansing 52-627 FOREIGN PATENTS 711,327 6/1954 Great Britain.

980,329 12/1950 France. 1,323,763 3/1963 France.

ROY D. FRAZfiIER, Primary Examner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assstnz Examner.

U.S. Cl. X R. 52-627 

